Protest Erupts at Chester Wetherspoons Over Banned Patron’s Exclusion
A banned Chester Wetherspoons patron protests his exclusion, claiming unfair treatment and seeking answers from the pub.
Chester, Wetherspoons, Brian Gorman, Pub Ban, Protest
Chester: A 61-year-old man is protesting after being banned from his local Wetherspoons. Brian Gorman, from Wigan, used to visit the Square Bottle pub often. He was barred after an incident on January 11.
The issue started over last orders. Gorman says staff usually announce last call at midnight on weekdays and 1am on Saturdays. But on that night, he claims a doorman told everyone to leave by 1:15am, which was earlier than expected.
Gorman politely questioned the timing. He felt the doorman was aggressive and unhelpful. He recalls, “I was just standing there kind of bewildered.” After the doorman left, Gorman chatted with a friend outside, thinking nothing of it.
He described the situation as a brief confusion. Despite returning to the pub without issues, he was banned on January 15 due to an alleged altercation with the doorman. A Wetherspoons spokesperson said Gorman recorded staff without permission that day.
Gorman is confused about the ban. He insists he’s friendly and has never been turned away from a pub before. To fight back, he started a Facebook group called ‘Justice for Brian Gorman’ and protested outside the Square Bottle.
Wetherspoons maintains they’ve explained the reasons for his ban. Gorman states, “I do not regret a single thing because I did absolutely nothing wrong.” He believes it’s unfair to bar a regular customer over a brief conversation.
He won’t back down, despite others suggesting he go to a different pub. Gorman wants to be allowed back where he has friends. He hopes Wetherspoons will admit they overreacted and let him return.
Wetherspoons responded, saying Gorman was banned for not finishing his drink on time. They also mentioned he filmed employees without consent. The company has a zero-tolerance policy for unacceptable behavior.